Highly Contagious Skin Infection

September 5, 2016

Impetigo is a skin infection that primarily affects infants and young children. It initially appears as red sores on the face, nose & around the mouth. It canspread to other parts of the body like the hands and feet. When the sores first appear it can easily spread to other children because the infection is highly contagious. The sores sometimes ooze yellow liquid and crust with a yellow-brown mesh. Signs of a severe form of impetigo include blistering or painful, pus-filled open sores.

Doctors will often prescribe an antibiotic ointment to be applied to the lesions two or three times a day for a certain period of time, until the lesions clear. In some cases a course of oral antibiotics may be taken in addition to the ointment. Antibiotics that belong to the beta-lactamase resistant antibiotics are usually prescribed because these medications are more likely to kill the bacteria.